OPEC Exports To The U.S. Continue To Decline

In the latter half of last year, we highlighted how Saudi deliveries to Motiva’s Port Arthur refinery had been surpassed by Iraqi barrels for the first time on our records. While this trend has now reversed, when it comes to total OPEC flows, the more things change, the more they stay the same. As our ClipperData illustrate below, Iraqi flows outpaced Saudi deliveries last September into Motiva’s Port Arthur refinery, the largest in the United States. This was, however, more a function of lower Saudi flows to the refinery, which dropped under 33,000 bpd after averaging close to 200,000 bpd through the first eight months of the year. Iraqi flows into Motiva rose through the first half of the year, but have since come off, with a complete absence in the first two months of 2018. Despite lower total Saudi imports to the U.S., normal service was resumed to […]